Rare Earth Race: A Japanese Scientist Produces an Artificial Alternative

China's decreasing rate of rare earth exports is forcing the world to scramble for alternative sources. Now the Japanese have artificially produced a palladium-like metal, commonly used for catalytic converters.

Professor Hiroshi Kitagawa of Kyoto University has announced that he and his team of researchers have artificially produced a metal similar to palladium, a material commonly used in catalytic converters. In his lab, Kitagawa used a heating method to produce ultramicroscopic metal particles, ultimately mixing the usually resistant rhodium and silver to create the palladium-like metal.

"The orbits of the electrons in the rhodium and silver atoms probably got jumbled up and formed the same orbits as those of palladium," Kitagawa told The Yomiuri Shimbun.

China is responsible for up to 97% of the world's supply of rare earth metals but the country recently announced a decrease in exports. So the news that rare earth can be produced artificially should help blunt some of the overwhelming anxieties related to China's exporting slow down. Japan, especially, was an early victim of China's export decrease—China stopped supplying the country when the Japanese detained a Chinese fisherman who had roamed into contested waters.

A continued search for other sources is advisable, as artificial production is not quite ready for commercial scaling. Professor Kitagawa said that he has initiated additional research in partnership with certain companies, but he has not yet disclosed details—only saying that the research will help produce additional kinds of rare earths. In the meantime, there's always China's rare earth black market.

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The link between rare earths and this research is more than confusing. None of the elements mentioned in this article are rare earths: palladium, rhodium, silver. There are no rare earths used or produced, artificially or otherwise. Rare earth elements comprise 17 specific spots in the periodic table. The story ties appear to have been inspired by an article on a British newspaper website that tried to link this research to something topical, tangential or not. Some web sites noting this research refer to precious metals, rare metals or a rare metal alloy.